Felt, tray lining materials, etc.

[PtolemAE]

The subject came up in an earlier thread suggesting merino wool felt might be a good material for lining coin trays, etc.  But just how would one find merino wool materials?  Might be easy to obtain by just going to a thrift store and finding a merino wool sweater that has seen better days.  Might not be 'felt' in the precise sense, but probably equally suitable and likely close to zero cost.

PtolemAE

 

[PMah]

I think I may have been the "merino-suggester"!

I doubt a sweater would "felt" sufficiently, especially something that was machine-knit.  The trick is to get somewhat finer strands in an overall thinner layer.

If you know a serious knitter (not an Xmas sweater-from-a-kit knitter), asking that person to obtain merino and knitting a tight rectangular piece that can be "felted" is not too challenging.  Only a friend or spouse would do this, as it is less interesting for a knitter than sorting a bag of mixed US cents is for an Ancients collector.  However, knitters often create sample swatches to practice techniques, so a little charm may do the trick.

I often take coin photos with background knitted pieces made by my knit-master wife; the color range of fabric can really complement a coin in ways that the standard tray colors do not.

[PMah]

Many of you have probably been wondering, "Why has no one posted about Merino felt in over a year?"
This post resolves such worries!

I had a good chance to illustrate my wife's point that Merino felt would make a wonderfully appropriate pad for ancient coins.  The top photo (I think) will show a black piece of 100% Merino wool felt next to a red piece of "felt" from a hobby store.  Most "felt" these days is actually polyrazzamatazz --- just another form of plastic fiber.  You can see the plush density of the real wool, even though it is actually about half the weight for the same size piece.

The four coin photo shows the black Merino, center bottom red Merino, and top red hobby store.  The US Quarter shows, a bit, the difference in thickness of the real wool next to it, as does the As.  A denarius is happily perched on the red wool. 

The eight coin photo shows seven recent acquisitions, from an early Roman Republic "litra" and early Victoriatus "club-series", co-existing peacefully with other new acquisitions, and that sad and uncomfortable quarter.

I happened to be at the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival (a real thing) on Sunday and picked up some Merino felt pieces for about $4/sq ft.  Not cheap, but pretty, and as soft as butter.  No "lanolin" feel at all. 

Another great thing about the Sheep and Wool Festival is that last year's competitors are often part of this year's dining ... well, never mind that part.

If you are ever travelling in New York and get a chance to go to the town of Rhinebeck, about 2 hours north of Manhattan on the Hudson River, not only can you see the annual S&W festival, but also the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, with flying original and replica WWI aircraft, and the nearby Roosevelt Historic Site, a Vanderbilt mansion, and the Culinary Institute of America.  Plenty of wineries and things to round out the trip.  You can get there by Amtrak or take MetroNorth to Poughkeepsie and take cabs.